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Over 3,771 reviews forChester Mold Removal Experts from people just like you.

A

"We could not be more pleased with

and his team. We originally had

come in to look at possible mold in the attic." ...More He was able to confirm it was mold and determine the cause we then had the mold removal done simultaneously with a roof replacement.

spoke to our roofer to review what he was doing and was able to stage the job as to not interfere with the roof replacement.

was on site during the entire process and was able to recommend additional things that needed to be done to improve the circulation in the attic so we would not get mold again. If it were not for him we would have had a brand new roof with the same circulation problems, eventually leading to mold again. Additionally he provided air purifiers to run in the house as the work was getting done and for the following couple of days. We were extremely satisfied with his knowledge and professionalism.
A couple of months later our basement flooded and we called him again, he arrived in under an hour to test for moisture and provide equipment to assist in drying out the basement and industrial dehumidifies to run. He said we would need to run all of the equipment for a couple of days, and called the following day to see how it was going. Again other then his equipment he provided advice as to what we should do to minimize damage from the flood.
We would use him again (although we hope not to have to) and would recommend without hesitation.

-Kenneth A.

A

"During the process of selling a home in

, OH, I was required to have the basement area tested for the presence of mold. I found

" ...More on Angie's list and called them based on the good reviews. I found them to be professional and responsive. They went to the home and found no mold present. They wrote a report stating the air in the home was healthy and no mold spores were present in the basement. They said they sprayed the area in question to prevent it in the future. A pleasant surprise to me, they said the area was so small, that they wouldn't charge for the testing/ treatment. I would definitely use them again.

Angie's Answers

Mold in a basement is a common problem. My company helps people with this every day. Some of the answers you received were helpful but not all the information is correct. First, you need to eliminate the two main ingrediants that mold needs to survive. The first one is water intrusion. This is a must. I am assuming you have no water intrusion as you make no mention. The second componant that needs to be eliminated is moisture. Moisture is also humidity. Basements need to be kept airtight in the summer months. Some folks have posted that you need air flow in your basement. Nothing could be furthur from the truth. When you open any windows for example, not one micron of air goes out of the basement, Warm humid air is sucked into the basement. Houses suck air into the basement and it meets the cool surfaces and skyrockets humidity. The windows must be kept closed and a dehumidification device installed to ensure humidity stays below 60% humidity. The dehumidifier should be energy star rated and purchasing a seperate humidity guage is a must to monitor the unit's progress. We like to keep our customer's basements at 50% humidity. This eliminates the smell that is active mold spore growth. Once the water and humidity is brought under control. Remove the organic materials that have mold on them. Walls, sheetrock and studs that have been affected. Follow the advice of previous posts as you must ensure that you do not affect the rest of the home. Once removed, install new walls using as much inorganic material as possible. We also install vapor barrier over the walls and seal the floors to stopwater vapor transmission into the basement. Poly plastic is not a acceptable vapor barrier. It is not "zero-perm" and will still allow moisture transmission. It will also crack and break into pieces over the years. A PVC liner rated "zero-perm" is the correct product in this application. Depending how large the basement is and if it is sectioned off will determine the dehumidifier strength. We use the Santa Fe line of dehidifiers as they are super energy efficiant and work like a dehumidifier on steriods. I hope this helps and I wish you the best in Basement Health!

When you say vented to the roof, do you mean into the attic UNDER the roof, or through the roof with a duct up through a roof jack into a roof hood ? Hopefully the latter, otherwise you have the likely source of the problem.

You are clearly getting moisture in this area still, so more insulation will not help and may hurt - insulation does not stop moisture but does trap it, particularly if you add enough tht the freezing front moves well down into the insulation, so vapor coming up from the house freezes in the insulation (making it wet when it thaws) rather than venting into the attic and evaporating from there.

You need an expert check on the bathroom area - that the fan unit and any light fixtures are tighly sealed to the vapor barrier. Usually they are installed with about a 1/4-1/2 inch void all around for ease of installation, and not sealed at all, so moist bathroom air vents around themm into the attic.

Then the fan unit needs checking for openings - many have openings in the plastic or metal case from manufacturing that are not sealed but should be. Do NOT use any type of unit that, because of big lights or heat lamp, says it has to be vented and cannot be sealed in, because moist air goes right up through it.

Then the duct from the fan up through the roof needs checking for leaks (and should be insulated, at least if your attic goes below freezing ever), and should have a roof jack where it penetrates the attic - a rubber seal in a metal plate that fits tightly around the duct, so the air blown into the vent hood on the roof cannot circulate back down into the attic. Most installers just cut about a 1 foot opening in the roof (especially if they can install the duct that way without having to crawl around in itchy attic insulation), run the duct up through it into the roof hood, and walk away. That leaves that big opening in the roof sheathing for the wet air and condensation in the hood to corculate right back down into the attic. Some installers (like my house whenn I first bought it) really take the easy route and don't even connect the duct to the hood - they just terminate it a foot or so below the sheathing so ALL the moist air goes into the attic.

I would also check the kitchen and any other bathroom fans for the same leak sources or improper installation, and make sure all vent pipes are intact to above the roof, and that there are no furnace or HVAC ducts disconnected or damaged that could be adding moisture.

Also look around all roof penetrations for ducts and pipes for staining on the underside of the sheathing, which would be indicative of roof hood or jack leaks that should be repaired. (Hopefully, with a new roof you would not have any).

The area most affected should have the insulation moved away and checked to see if the vapor barrier has holes or tears, openings around pipes, ducts, light boxes or wiring, or was maybe totally torn out by some prior workman. If your vapor barrier is not effective, moist household air will move into the attic almost year around, but especially in cold weather, carrying moisture into the attic, where it will condense and cause mold.

Also - if you have a fireplace chase (wood boxout around metal chimney) in that area, it may connect to the house in the firebox area and be open to the attic (which is a real fire spread hazard but for some reason is not contrary to code), letting household air flow by that route.

The mold should be brushed and vacuumed away, then treated - there are commercial sprays that are fungicides that commercial mold and mildew removal contractors have, a sprayed chlorine bleach and borax solution has also been shown to work but you would have to have an air supplied respirator and chemical suit to work with that, which only professional remediation contractors have. Do NOT paint the area - especially the underside of the roof sheathing and trusses. They needs to be able to breathe, not have any moisture from above locked in.

Stains in the attic (assuming this is an unoccupied area) can be bleached, and then if you want the evidence to go away and make it easier to tell if there is new staining or mold, sanded to remove the worst of them.

Stains on areas visible from the outside like walls and rafters can be treated with Chlorine bleach (beware of dripping on good finishes below), painted with Kilz or similar anti-fungal primer, then painted. Stains on the underside of the sheathing visible in the soffit area can be bleached and then when dry, sanded away.

Ventilation is essential, but without removing the source of most the moisture you will not win this war no matter how many times you battle it.

While I would guess the fans and vents are the problem, is there anything different about the attic ventilation to this area versus the other parts of the roof - soffit covers, blocked eave openings, insulation-clogged bug screening or soffit cover openings, lack of air chutes or eave baffles, insulation pushed up against eave opening or up against roof, horizontal blocking that prevents or obstructs airflow, no ridge vent above it, etc ?

If you are not able to find an obvious source of the moisture, I woud consider getting a thermal IR scan of the attic. For typically about $200-300 an energy conservation expert with thermal scanner can scan the attic (might have to be done at night or VERY early morning if done in summertime, to accentuate the temp difference between house air and attic air, unless you have AC in which case turning the AC down low and blower on full can work by pushing cold air rather than hot up through any gaps or voids. If you have that done, check on price to add in the rest of the house too - probably not more than about $100 more, and can show you where your air leaks and poor insulation air. You should try to get one who can provide the entire scan to you on CD or DVD, so you can review it in the future. Here is a link to some images so you know what I am talking about -

There is no sense addressing the mold issue until you resolve the basement leaks.

High ground water that is seeping into your basement is going to lead to long term, serious damage to your foundation and basement walls. Any mold you remove will just keep coming back. The first question is the age of the home and whether or not you have working perimeter drain tile installed. If you home is pretty old (30+ years) it is possible you do not have a drainiage system, or the system is clogged / deteriorated beyond function. For a newer home, perimeter drain tile was a requirement, but doesn't mean it was installed properly.

I recommend you hire a licensed architect to review your house's construction, the site and look for indications that a drainage system is in place and functioning. They should be able to find out where the drain comes out, and to check it (after a rain or by doing a water test) to see if it is working. If it is working, it is possible your system is undersized or only failing in a specific area. It is also possible a second, lower water table exists that is below your current drain system. A site change, to change the current flow of ground water or above ground water may resolve your issue as well. Something as simple as a new drainage ditch, retention pond or higher grades around your building may resolve your issue.

Working with a professional will prevent you from worrying about a 'draingage expert' recommending a high cost repair when another option may be available.

Some drainage people will propose installing a new perimiter drain inside your basement walls. This system gets the water that gets through the walls and under the floor, and carries it back out. This is a last ditch idea. The best method, to solve the issue for good, is to dig back down to your footers, repair the waterproofing on the wall, then place drainage board over it (this protects the waterproofing while allowing moisture a travel path to your drain tile). Then place gravel fill with geo-fabric over it, then backfill. Now, no matter how much water you have in your ground, it will be directed away from your basement.

A sump pump in the basement to handle flooding or low water tables below your basement slab will augment this system.

Once you have the moisture issue resolved, then worry about stopping mold. In the interim, any materials that are growing mold need to be removed (use protective measures). Make sure you run a dehumidifier at all times and keep air moving by turning on the basement hvac vents or putting some fans in the area.

Working with a licensed architect will help ensure you pinpoint the exact problem, and have a knowledgable person to discuss the options with before doing any costly work. The architect will also be able to assist with finding contractors and overseeing that the work is installed correctly (It is worthless to redo the drainage if any one area is not done correctly). Good luck.

Mold Removal reviews in Chester

A

Rating

“

Initial consultation was very prompt and

delivered the estimate over the weekend, which I appreciated and allowed scheduling for the following week.
Actual work went very smoothly. The crew was 15 minutes early and waited outside until the main guy showed up. I really appreciated that they were early b/c I hate waiting ...More around with windows given like the cable companies. They removed and repaired a small spot of drywall in the neighboring room and confirmed there was no leaking from the exterior faucet. Covered furniture and taped/sealed up the vents to prevent any contaminants from entering the HVAC system. Very professional job”

- Daniel A.

N

Rating

“

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! I first contacted

regarding a leather couch that had been soiled with human urine. They said I would have to set up an appointment for an estimate. Much to my surprise the appointment was over a week out. When appointment day came no body showed up at my house at the scheduled time. I called the company. ...More They tried to call their service guy but was unable to get a hold of him for 45 minutes. The service guy, who I later found out, was the General Manager of the company, finally called me back and said he would not be showing up but he could give me an estimate over the phone. I didn’t want to wait another week for another appointment so I described the leather couch to him in detail. He then quoted me a price and told me to call the office to make an appointment if I would like it cleaned. The earliest appointment was 3 weeks out. I took the first one. On the day of my cleaning a service guy showed up and said he had no idea the couch he was cleaning was leather and he would not be able to clean it that day because he didn’t have the cleaning products. I called the office and explained to them that the service guy was unable to clean my couch because he did not have the proper cleaning products. I also let them know this was the 2nd time someone had to take off of work for this. I explained to them that I described, in detail, the couch to the first person who was supposed to give an estimate and never showed up. At this point they told me that was their General Manager. The manager I was speaking to told me she would call me back in 10 minutes. She wanted to see if they had the cleaning product in stock and would send the service guy out again that day. When she called me back she stated they did in fact have the product but the service guy had never cleaned a leather couch before and did not feel comfortable cleaning mine but she could reschedule my appointment again. At this point I was done dealing with

. Their lack of competence caused two work days missed and a service that was never provided.”

- Dana G.

B

Rating

“

The inspection went well.

was prompt and courteous and provided useful information.

does remediation only.
I went with another contractor who does both the remediation and the dry walling needed afterwards.”

- Jackie B.

A

Rating

“

It went well. We were lucky that we called them. At that time there were floods every where. Also, I have to say. We have extra coverage from our insurance (

). We pay extra. We are fighting them, they will not pay.

Twis went out of his way to give us a discount. I can't tell you. You do not ...More find that these days. They went beyound doing a great job with our Home. That was so nice and we are so greatful.
I,

O'

and My husband

would use them again and would recommend them to everyone who may need help.

treated us like it was his home.”

- BILLYE O.

A

Rating

“

I contacted

on Saturday morning,

25th, 2015, and received a call back from

within 30 minutes. He told me

would be contacting me and would send a crew out on Sunday to start. His crew arrived on Sunday morning and started the containment and remediation ...More services. They put fans and filters in place to dry out the areas of water penetration.

came by each day to check on things and finished remediation services on Wednesday of the following week. This company is STELLAR!!! Coming out on a Sunday was incredible!. They are highly skilled, knowledgable and very professional.

's service and support gave us the peace of mind we needed after experiencing the stress of water damage in our home.”

- Shawn C.

N

Rating

“

and team promptly arrived as scheduled, were very professional explaining the scope of what they were doing. Brief discussion about what they feel the test results might be was greatly appreciated.”

sets the bar in customer service and quality workmanship. We have worked with them twice, once on undisclosed mold and related reconstruction in our new home in 2011 and again in 2015 to investigate an unrelated potential issue. For both engagements,

went above and beyond during the quoting process to ...More get us information we needed, reaching out to other service providers to get us holistic inputs and set our expectations. In the 2011 emergency,

instructed his team to begin work immediately once we agreed on the scope, working until well after midnight, maintaining the high level of customer service and outreach throughout. A few years later when we were searching for the corresponding photo evidence,

personally spent hours digging through his files to find what we needed.
While we did not end up needing work done in 2015,

was nonetheless prompt, responsive (same day in-person quote) and thorough in his evaluation, calling us the same evening with additional information for us to consider.

and the

team are the first contractor we would call for any future issue in their area of expertise.”